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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 2001-02 > 0982426804


From: "marg3" <>
Subject: Re: [Scotch-Irish] Middle Names
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2001 08:20:04 -0800
References: <001001c098f9$d8598d00$03000004@h8k1x8>


Hi Paul, This is an interesting question, and I have many examples of it in
my family as well....However I don't think it was in particular S/I., as I
find it being done in a similar fashion among my New England ancestors with
all English roots as well as S/I ones. It certainly is a clue to future
generations, where ever they come from.
I have a family that are S/I that did that with the name Henderson. A son
of the an emigrant, (call him John Smith,) named Mathew Smith ,married Jane
Henderson. Her father was well off for the time...probably land poor without
two nickels to rub together, but he had a lot of land, and was a well
thought of citizen. His name was Thomas Henderson. Mathew and Jane did not
use any middle names for their children (the custom of two names didn't
really get started in America until after the Revolution, although some
children were given two names before this, it was not the norm) but the
children of Mathew Smith and Jane Henderson started giving some of there
children middle names and they used her maiden name, Henderson. Perhaps
only one son was given a second name in this generation,but it was
Henderson, but in the next more were. One man descended from Mathew and
Jane gave a son the name Henderson Lafayette, and another son the name
William Henderson. Jane's brother, also Thomas Henderson was a Captain in
the Rev. and later a Justice of the Peace, and owned a lot of land and was
wealthy by that times standards, and apparently a much admired man......The
practice of using Henderson as a given name, either a first or middle name
continued for generations....some may still be living now. I think that it
just perpetuated itself, starting out using an admired ancestor, or an
admired Uncle and grew from there. Perhaps in a couple of generations they
had forgotten why it was used in the first place, it was just a family
habit.....
However, it is not exclusively S/I, as I have New England ancestors that
would have not known Scotch/Irish from a hole in the ground who did exactly
the same thing. My own father carried the middle name of Temple, which had
been used for at least 5 generations as a middle name for either boys or
girls. I think the continuity of this is nice, and that it belongs to no
group, but is probably just a family thing, no matter where the family came
from. Margaret Behnke
----- Original Message -----
From: Paul McAfee <>
To: <>
Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2001 7:53 AM
Subject: [Scotch-Irish] Middle Names


> This is a question about the convention of middle names and usage
practice, if any, among the S-I. I have not seen middle names used with any
of the original immigrants in my various families from the early 18th
Century Ulster. But middle names abound after that. Sometimes the middle
name was the mother's original surname.
>
> My reason for asking is that some clue to how middle names were given or
assigned among SI, at least in America, may help me locate ancestors. I
will give an example:
>
> The middle name Harris was given to many male descendents of my great
grandfather Daniel H. Kirby (1850-1925). I am supposing that the H. in his
name was also for Harris but I do not know. At least three of his children
had Harris for middle names and one (perhaps more) of his grandchildren.
> Any help will be appreciated.
>
>
> Paul
>
>

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